A coalition of scholarly publishers and associations collaborated to create this short checklist for authors to refer to when evaluating a journal as a possible place of publication for his research. By asking a few short questions and evaluating the journal according to the checklist, authors can be assured that the journal they are considering, whether subscription-based or open access, will be one of quality, rigor, and respect.

Think: Ask yourself, can you trust this journal with your research? Does the journal publish research you would read yourself?

Check: Is the organization or publisher of the journal identifiable? Can you contact them easily

For journals with publication fees (color charges, Open Access) - are the fees clearly listed on the publisher's website? Reputable publishers should list their fees clearly and publicly.

Do you know the names or reputations of any of the editorial board members?

Are the articles indexed in services you use within your subject area?

Submit: If you can answer yes to these questions, then submit! (Source)

Finding a Journal for Publication

• Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ)
  DOAJ is an index of open access journals from around the globe.
• Elsevier Journal Finder
  Helps you find Elsevier journals that are suited for publishing scientific articles.
• Journal/Author Name Estimator (JANE)
  Have you recently written a paper, but you're not sure to which journal you should submit it? Or maybe you want to find relevant articles to cite in your paper? Or are you an editor, and do you need to find reviewers for a particular paper? Jane can help!
• Springer Journal Finder
  Search or browse over 3,000 journals across all of Springer Nature's brands to discover the perfect journal for you.
• Web of Science Master Journal List
  A tool to help you find the right journal for your needs across the Web of Science platform.

Finding a Book Publisher

• Association of University Presses (AUP) - Finding a Publisher
  University presses acquire and publish scholarly books. AUP offers the following resources to identify scholarly presses in your field of research.
• Directory of Open Access Books (DOAB)
  DOAB lists academic, peer-reviewed books available under an open license. You can browse by publisher or subject.

It’s also a good idea to scan WorldCat for relevant books to your research and take note of their publishers.

Predatory publishers are those who use questionable tactics to gain profits from scholarly research. They exploit authors by soliciting articles and request payment up front, often through spam email messages.

While open access journals are often supported through fees paid by the author, the payment should only happen once the article is accepted for publication. The amount should be clearly visible on their website.

You can be assured that journals listed in CU’s catalog and databases are not predatory.

CU Digital Scholarship Workshops: Authors’ Rights & the Publishing Industry
As a graduate student or a faculty member seeking an academic position, tenure, or promotion, you will need to establish a scholarly presence and build your curriculum vitae. A building block in this process is publishing in quality academic journals (subscription-based or open access). This workshop will assist you in selecting the right journal, ascertaining your rights as an author, and explore the problem of predatory publishing practices and how to avoid becoming a victim.